Monday, March 31, 2014

Guest Blog by Author Gianni Hayes!

What You Should Know About
BOOK CONTRACTS
by Gianni D. Hayes author of 24 books, including:


An eclectic collection of short stories that are like windows into the various stages of a life. They examine the various passages that affect us all, as the protagonists of the stories face various problems: fun events, medical issues, the tragic death of a friend. 
 
With so many ongoing changes in the writing and publishing industry, authors need to keep up with them to protect themselves. You can go to Writers Digest’s book club and purchase books on contracts, as well as going online and researching the composition of a good contract—one that is fair to the author and the publisher…including yourself, if you are self-publishing. Signing a bad contract is akin to giving your work away, and likely forever.


Joyfully, I recently was offered a 4-book contract, of which the first contract was to serve as the template for the next 3 books. But while reading the initial agreement, I became alarmed; there were problems with my rights.


I sent the publisher numerous questions, most of which he answered but was adamant regarding what rights he wanted. I understand that publishers must have certain rights granted to them in order to receive equity on their hard-earned work, but writers must be on top of things to see if they are being treated fairly.


More commonly today than when I began writing and getting published in the early ‘80s, is a writer dealing directly with a publisher than through an agent. Self-publishing and POD publishers are more the norm today than finding agents to sell your book to big traditional houses. Three reasons for self-publishing and using PODs are control of: 

1. The entire writing/publishing process;
2. The profits; and
3. Your rights. 


Finding a good and legit POD publisher is everything. They, like traditional publishers, must carry the cost of printing, the onus of proofing, and the patience to deal with finicky authors among other facets. I have found Cambridge Books/Write Words, Inc to be one of the most reputable PODs. Always this company puts its writers first, and they do this by providing a just contract and high quality work. 

With any publisher, author concerns should always valid and viable. Any publisher should strives to make authors a part of the entire publishing process.



Gianni DeVincenti Hayes, Ph.D, has put her heart and soul into a story that allows readers to explore humanity’s feelings: Adoration for others, thoughts, dreams, as well as the fears and hate, that constantly plague us. The story emphasizes the importance of communication with, and love for, another—or the lack of love even for God—that forces each of us to go on that risky journey, called “The Search.”

 I’ve had many contract experiences during the years my 24 books were published. While all contracts are a give-and-take process, there are those publishers who believe they should acquire most or all the rights they can take from writers, especially new writers. 

It’s best to get someone who understands literary contracts to look over yours. If you are a member of the National Writers Union, the Authors Guild, and other literary agencies, they will offer contract advice; otherwise, seek the help of savvy published writers, or get a good attorney. This especially applies to writers who are working with publishers, not self-publishing.


Digital publishing has taken a forefront in contracts. You should try to keep the bulk of digital printing rights. Today, most publishers want both print and digital rights. This is okay as long as everything is spelled out in the contract for both venues.


Contracts can be sticky, so keep the following in mind anytime you’re selling your creative work. Not all contract items are included below, but they’re a good start to consider; hence, this article introduces, in broad strokes, contract concerns: 

1.Limiting “world” sales to English in U.S., its territories and Canada may not be a good idea unless your publisher is well versed in foreign sales. 

2.Copyright must be in the author’s name; no exceptions. 

3.Always have the rights and percentages to subsidiaries clearly written out.

Retain your approval rights for any use the publisher wants; you can’t demand 100% on everything. You have to pick your battles, most of which should center around your rights.
 
Also make certain that you are able to use excerpts or partials of the work you gave to the publisher. One publisher I had—but did not sign with—demanded that I get his permission for anything I write on the topic of the book in any form (articles, blogs, online, YouTubes, etc) past, present and future!


Determine what derivatives the publisher wants in whole or in part, and how they will benefit you. Some publishers often want all the derivatives in current and future formats and media. 

The publisher is in the business of presenting a good book to the public through marketing and other tools. Most contracts will contain such clauses (paraphrased) for getting your book out: 

“To sell or license any supplements, revisions, condensations, serial works, and abridgements, along with such venues as video, screenplays, TV, film, and other dramatic rights, along with radio, cassette, audio, digital and YouTube productions, and any electronic medium available at the time of the contract or in the future.”

Again, discuss your concerns about subsidiaries and supplements with the publisher.
 

Ascertain that you can make galley corrections, as well as any revisions needed in context so that if you or others found errors in your narrative that you can change it before it’s printed or reprinted. 

Before you go messing with the galleys you should have made your major changes in a copy prior to the galleys which most publishers supply. The galley proofs are not for lengthy or significant rewrites or additions.


Do not agree to any terms that suggest you must pay for unsold books being warehoused or stored elsewhere. Consider purchasing at a low price your unsold books that the publisher no longer wants to carry or will sell off as remainders, or even shred or recycle.


You should not have to pay for indexing your book.


Some publishers will ask for revisions, but when you do the rewrites, they may come back and state that you did not revise your work adequately and thus they will have someone else rewrite your book and you must share with them your advance and royalties. Do not allow this.


There is much, much more, that goes into contract discussions. Read every word over and over, and obtain help from veteran authors and literary agents or attorneys.

Don’t “give away” your baby, but do remember that contracts are made to be negotiated.
 



Jacob’s working on a formula that will cure both AIDS and cancer. It will save the world—as long as nobody realizes it can also become a doomsday weapon.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Catching UP!

 
No books went to press, or back to press this week:

Galleys that went out or went out again, this Week:


RETURN TO MANDALJARA, by Romona Hilliger

    The scars of betrayal burn deep in his the soul of Hunter Kincaid. The tall, striking cattle king remembers, only too well, his teenage love--the girl who betrayed him. Now she's coming back to Australia.



I HAVE A FRIEND ON JUPITER, Celine Rose Mariotti
   Paperback edition of the popular e-book.


MOONLIT BAY, by Elena Bowman
   What is in an abandoned building on an uninhabited Island across Moonlit Bay that has been surreptitiously invaded by armed, unidentified entities who are helmeted, dressed in black survival suits and armed with laser guns?


HIS SON, HER DAUGHTER, by Ludima Gus Burton
   A single mother takes a job as a nanny to a wealthy businessman who assumes custody of the year- old son he never knew he had. 


EXIT PLANS, by Terry L. White
   What happens when a group of senior citizens decide to manage the way they are treated at the end of their long and useful lives? Will they go along with the state of the art status quo – or find new reasons to get up on Thursday mornings to discuss their possible fates?
 



 
Work began or continued on the following titles:
 
 MATTEO'S TREASURE, Morretti Men Series, Vol. 3, by Anna Dynowski
   Jet-setter Santino Moretti died and left the Triple-M property, worth nearly $25 million, to his three neglected sons, Micah, Marek, and Matteo, each born of a different marriage, and each unknown by the others. Before any one of them can inherit, he must take turns living on the farm for three months, then they must return and all three live together for a final three months. Half-brothers, city boys, and complete strangers, they face the biggest challenge of their lives: to put aside their distrust and bitterness and live together like a kind and caring family.

THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht
 
THE KIDNAPING OF SEN. ANDY THOMPSON, Adventures on Capital Hill, by Celine Rose Mariotti
   A political mystery, suspense, with a touch of humor.  


DOING DEAD MAN'S TIME, by Matthew L. Schoonover

     From the author who brought you the supernatural thrillers of The Arbiter series and the impossible mysteries of The Tornado Man series comes a new tale of supernatural suspense. Phil Talbot is in the here-after, awaiting judgment. He is given the opportunity to come back to the mortal plane and fix the one mistake that changed his supernatural fate. 


MINISTER'S SHOES, VOL. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.

THE PROMISE, by Karen Rossi
   A romantic new title by an author who appeals to "New Adult" readers.

REWIND FORWARD, by Michael E. Field
  Another great mystery by popular author Michael E. Field.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendal Mystery Series, Vol. 1

   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!
  

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.


TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, BY Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis 





Jack's News!
  by your bookstore cat and gossip columnist. 
 
Our Authors have been busy this time!
 
 Author Andy Nunez, best know for his Eastern Shore series  is doing a little ghostly work for himself, these days. He has just completed a new book for a British Publisher's series on U.S. Civil War Battles.

Wilderness and Spotsylvania 1864: 
Grant versus Lee in the East (Campaign)Paperback

Grant and Lee fought near Chancellorsville, VA in a confusing series of battles amidst brush thickets and wildfires. Unlike previous campaigns, Grant simply kept flanking Lee, trying frontal assaults at Spotslvania's 'mule-shoe' and Cold Harbor along the way to laying seige to Richmond and Petersburg.  Here's the link: 
http://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Spotsylvania-1864-versus-Campaign/dp/1472801474

 

In other author news this time:
 Author Ludima Burton is recuperating from minor health issues, and working on the galleys for her new book. Elena Bowman's family is working hard on her new one and she has the galleys almost done.

Author Barbara Garro, is working hard to get her new book LIVING THE CALL OF GOD noticed and reviewed. "Not easy when you only use public computers," she told Arline. "I'm trying to get the word out on this one, because this would make a great Easter Present for anyone."

As for me, I'm trying to be patient and keep things on track. Arline is confused, as usual, because it's almost time to do payroll again and she's trying to get all the galleys out before she stops for that. 

Trust me, she's getting impossible to work with and (worst of all!) she forgot to put Cat Treats on the grocery list this week.
 
 

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Inner City Chef's curried chicken

Pedro “Pete” Chu-Wright’s world has been turned upside down when his father relocates his well-to-do family to the rough inner-city neighborhood where his father grew up. The father, a famous lawyer and former college basketball legend, has been tapped by the political establishment to start a political career as a state representative from his old neighborhood. However, he must actually live in the ‘hood to meet the residential requirement for election, and he also enrolls his children in the public schools there to make a good impression.

Can Pete make the adjustment from attending private schools to attending the same decaying middle school his father once attended?

 Bad, Bad, Leroy-the-Chef's
Curried Chicken with Almonds

INGREDIENTS
 
4 tablespoons Sliced almonds
2 teaspoons Olive or vegetable oil
Skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Chopped onion
Garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon Minced fresh ginger (or sliced and bottled in water)
2 teaspoons Curry powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups Fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup Dried-fruit bits (such as Sunsweet) or chopped, dried apricots, apples, pears and plums
2 cups Cooked brown or white rice
1/2 cup Chopped green Spring Onions
 
DIRECTIONS

Toast almonds by heating in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden, about 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan frequently; set aside.

Heat oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; sauté 1 minute per side, until golden brown. Remove from pan; set aside.

To the same pan, add onion, garlic and ginger; sauté 2 minutes. Add curry powder, salt and pepper and stir to coat. Return chicken to pan, meat-side down and add broth and dried fruit. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Spoon 1/2 cup rice onto four individual plates. Arrange chicken alongside rice and spoon sauce over chicken and rice. Top chicken with green onions and toasted almonds

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

AnotherRightsQuestion

Love knows no age limits Kay Holland, a fifty year-old widow, doesn't want to be called a cougar. Although fifteen years separate them, thirty-five year old, Drew Lawrence, isn't her cub!

Question from the e-mail:
You were talking about copyrights the other day and that was useful, but my question is a bit different. I am writing a novel based on personal experience and it includes some not-so-nice actions by a former employer, a local company in the town were the novel is set. Everything the company does, they actually did. To me. Do I have the right to use the company name? The real town? How would you handle that?

Answer:
At the risk of sounding like a wuss, I would change All the Names, People, Company,  the Town. AND the STATE where it happened. Life is too short to spend money on lawyers and the time in court, even if you know you are right and have witnesses and evidence to prove.

If your book is about a fisherman in Chesapeake Bay, make him a fisherman in Tampa Bay, or San Francisco Bay.  If your company is a tomato cannery and the only big business in Depression era Cambridge MD, take a page out of John Barth's THE FLOATING OPERA, and at least make it a Pickle Cannery.

Anne Lamotte, in her excellent book Bird By Bird, took another tack on the lawsuit question. She said if a named character would have a real reason to sue, she always gave him a very small penis. Few men, Ms. Lamotte said, would be willing to get up in court and swear to having that kind of penis, and if they did, you could always get a court order for a measurement. Now I’m not a lawyer, and this is  NOT legal advice, but basically I believe no one can sue you for telling the truth.

Telling the truth, and getting up in court and proving that what you say is absolute fact are two different things, however. By all means write your book, tell your truth, but don’t put yourself in any unnecessary danger. Change the names to be on the safe side.




Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Question from the E-mail





Jude St. Onge is a man on the run. He is an addict who has stolen a large cache of drugs from Detroit drug kingpin Mitchell Parson, who is determined to retrieve the drugs and take his revenge on Jude. After the torture slaying of Jude’s wife, and the kidnapping of Jude’s daughter, Angelina, the last thing Mitchell Parson expected to hear when he picked up the phone was: “I have your sons.” Raymond Little, with a murder conviction in his past, and newspaper reporter Ted Rogers have become unusual allies with Jude in an attempt to rescue his daughter.

Question from the e-mail:

Monday's blog brought up the old question about what comes first, plot, or theme?  What do you think about that? And how do YOU define a theme, anyway?

Answer: 

My answer is that themes are based on  the writer's own internal belief system and will be inherent in your work, whether you plan to show it, or not. Because internal themes are often based on what is important to the writer, many authors have been accused of writing the same book over and over mostly because they have similar themes.

Years ago, my face-to-face students looked at me as if I had sprouted warts when I said, "Fiction has to hold real truth." and "Nobody can tell your truth, but you." But, basically that's what I believe. All fiction (yes, even daffy romances) must have something to say (i.e. a loving commitment is a life blessing). 

The key for any writer, is to figure out what he or she wants to say. That's your theme. How you get it across is a matter of technique, and a matter of telling your shared truth in a way that only you can tell it.  For instance, "Cinderella" says "Love conquers all." I doubt it really did.  I'll bet Cindy would have had a big mother-in-law problem. But in the story, love conquered all and that can be summed up in one line. If you can't one-line the theme, it usually means you're not focused enough on what the story really says.
Let's pick some themes for famous books and characters:

ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (or any of the titles):  Good vs. Evil using the method of scientific deduction, of course. In Doyle's sci fi his characters were quite different, but the good vs. evil theme was the same.

HUCKLEBERRY FINN. "Slavery is evil an' ther ain't much value to grammar neither."

MOBY DICK. Obsession can cost you everything.


Scarlett O'Harra from GONE WITH THE WIND.  "I'll Cry Tomorrow." Indeed almost the whole story comes out of Scarlet's character's need to live in the moment and do what was best for herself without regard for anyone else.

OLIVER TWIST. Poverty is not an appealing state and finding a way out of it, is a challenge.






I think any author's themes come from his deep subconscious.  And though he or she might write many different books and stories most will have a similar theme.

So what is Stephen King's theme? Face your challenges, no matter how grueling. And he does give out some grueling challenges, doesn't he?

Monday, March 24, 2014

Guest Blog D.J. Swykert

by D. J. Swykert

Jude St. Onge is a man on the run. He is an addict who has stolen a large cache of drugs from Detroit drug kingpin Mitchell Parson, who is determined to retrieve the drugs and take his revenge on Jude.

After the torture slaying of Jude’s wife, and the kidnapping of Jude’s daughter, Angelina, the last thing Mitchell Parson expected to hear when he picked up the phone was: “I have your sons.”

Detroit Homicide Detectives work the case unaware of all that is at stake in the investigation. Only Ray and Ted can save the endangered children in Children of the Enemy.

Where Do Stories Come From
Guest Blog, from author D.W. Swykert

I’m a blue collar person from Detroit. I’ve worked as a truck driver, dispatcher, logistics analyst, operations manager, accident investigator, and ten years as a 911 operator, which was the very best job of them all. They say write what you know, I know Detroit, and it’s underbelly.

I wrote a story that is an unpleasant truth. The Detroit Police Department solve about one third of the homicides in the murder capital of the world. My story is about the crime you seldom hear about and is almost never solved. It occurs in the netherworld of the drug culture in Detroit, slipping through the cracks of the police, the justice system and the media.

I have a pretty straightforward style of telling a story. I write a book like you’d watch a movie and put it down on paper. I’ve discussed themes and story frame many times at our writing group. The idea of which came first, plot or theme, invariably arises. Many writers begin a book with a theme as the motivation for the story line and then characters to express their theme.

When I write a book my characters always come first. I develop a story around a character I find interesting. I get a characterization in my head and then put this person into a situation that I can visualize he might find him/herself in. This becomes the conflict in my story and the book evolves as chapters focus on resolution of the conflict. I generally have the resolution already formed in my mind from the very beginning, which is what propels the chapters forward, each chapter pointing towards my ending.

Within this framework of my story there is always a theme. But I think its underneath, a presence even before I begin, though is not a primary concern of mine in writing the book. It’s a current that runs through the story and motivates the characters, plot, and resolution in the story, but it is not what began the story, the characters did.

Children of the Enemy began with a junkyard operator. He was sitting on a chair in front of a house trailer, smoking a cigarette, tending a land fill. He was older, had a grizzled look, and I there was perhaps a fascinating story how he came to this astute position. I developed the character Raymond Little, a former drug addict and convicted murderer, with a picture in my mind of this man tending trash. I never actually spoke with him, simply conjured up a past life for him and turned it into a story.


DJ Swykert’s work has appeared in: The Tampa Review, Detroit News, Monarch Review, Lunch Ticket, Zodiac Review, Barbaric Yawp and Bull. His books include Children of the Enemy, Maggie Elizabeth Harrington, Alpha Wolves, The Pool Boy’s Beatitude and The Death of Anyone.

You can find him hanging out on his website page:

 www.magicmasterminds.com/djswykert  He is a wolf expert.



Friday, March 21, 2014

Catching UP!

NO BOOKS went to press this week:




 
Galleys that went out or went out again, this Week:



  A VANISHING BREED: The Volunteer Series, Vol. 2, by Tom Ward.

Heroic firefighter Robert J. Doyle is back, still struggling with his inner demons, the result of an incident in war torn Lebanon, when he ordered the destruction of a complete village. As he walked through the carnage, Doyle vowed one day to pay for the loss of innocent lives.


THE MORGENSTERN MURDERS: Jonas McCleary Series, Vol. 2, by C. M. Albrecht

Sequel to the popular SAND BLUFF MURDERS, detective Jonas McCleary moves to the city and finds himself facing a serial killer.  


When a prominent surgeon and his wife are murdered, the family’s daughter comes under suspicion and in order to clear her name and track down the killersof her parents, she hires Jonas to investigate. 


 

I HAVE A FRIEND ON JUPITER, Celine Rose Mariotti
   Paperback edition of the popular e-book.


RETURN TO MANDALJARA, by Romona Hilliger

    The scars of betrayal burn deep in his the soul of Hunter Kincaid. The tall, striking cattle king remembers, only too well, his teenage love--the girl who betrayed him. Now she's coming back to Australia.


MOONLIT BAY, by Elena Bowman
   What is in an abandoned building on an uninhabited Island across Moonlit Bay that has been surreptitiously invaded by armed, unidentified entities who are helmeted, dressed in black survival suits and armed with laser guns?







 
Work began or continued on the following titles:

THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht
THE KIDNAPING OF SEN. ANDY THOMPSON, Adventures on Capital Hill, by Celine Rose Mariotti
   A political mystery, suspense, with a touch of humor.  


DOING DEAD MAN'S TIME, by Matthew L. Schoonover

     From the author who brought you the supernatural thrillers of The Arbiter series and the impossible mysteries of The Tornado Man series comes a new tale of supernatural suspense. Phil Talbot is in the here-after, awaiting judgment. He is given the opportunity to come back to the mortal plane and fix the one mistake that changed his supernatural fate. 


MINISTER'S SHOES, VOL. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.


HIS SON, HER DAUGHTER, by Ludima Gus Burton

   A single mother takes a job as a nanny to a wealthy businessman who assumes custody of the year- old son he never knew he had.


THE PROMISE, by Karen Rossi
   A romantic new title by an author who appeals to "New Adult" readers.

REWIND FORWARD, by Michael E. Field
  Another great mystery by popular author Michael E. Field.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendal Mystery Series, Vol. 1

   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!
  

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.


TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, BY Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis 




Jack's News!
  by your bookstore cat and gossip columnist. 

I have them at last!  The Epic Award Winners!



Childrens'

Sinclair Summer Beth Bowland  Musa Publishing

Action/Adventure

Resurrect David E. Stevens  Lion Hudson - Monarch Books

Contemporary Fiction

Xylophone K. Z. Snow  Dreamspinner Press

Erotica

Private Dancer Kimberly Dean  Mischief Books

Fantasy

Phantom Harvest C. R. Richards  Whiskey Creek Press

Historical

We Came From Konigsberg Max Overton  Writers Exchange

Horror

I Am Here Evelyn Shepherd  Loose Id, LLC

Mystery

Tidewater Murder C. Hope Clark  BelleBooks, Inc. / Bell Bridge Books

Paranormal

The Chief of All Time S. R. Howen  Wild Child Publishing

Science Fiction

In the Tears of God Brian Burt  Double Dragon Publishing

Suspense/Thriller

Plague H. W. "Buzz" Bernard  BelleBooks, Inc. / Bell Bridge Books

Fiction Short Works

Benny Bruce Jenvey  Coven Books

Spiritual

Daughter of the King Carlene Havel and Sharon Faucheux  Prism Book Group

Non-Fiction

The Longest Trail Roni McFadden  Self-published

Poetry

Undisturbed by Reality Annalise Phenix  Heart Ally Books

Romance Short Works

Quid Pro Quo L. A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov  Riptide Publishing

Action/Adventure Romance

Collision Course Desiree Holt  Self-published

Contemporary Romance

When One Door Opens J. D. Ruskin  Dreamspinner Press

Fantasy Romance

The Stolen Luck Shawna Reppert  Carina Press

Historical Romance

Comanche Moon Marilyn Gardiner  LL Dreamspell

Paranormal Romance

Close Quarter Anna Zabo  Loose Id, LLC

Romantic Suspense

Hot Water Maggie Toussaint  The Wild Rose Press

Science Fiction Romance

The Bacchi Belinda McBride  Loose Id, LLC

Young Adult

The Color of Grace Linda Kage  Whiskey Creek Press


Nobody from Write Words, Inc. this year, but maybe next time.  We have had several winners in the past and one year had 14 finalists in different categories. Of course that was when my big sister was the bookstore cat...so I'm not up on all the details.

Rumor has it that D. W. Sykert, author of CHILDREN OF THE ENEMY and Gianni Hayes,  author of TIME, are sending in blogs for next week and that Jan Shapin, author of A SNUG LIFE SOMEWHERE, will have one coming in April. 

Don't forget that anyone can write a blog to be featured on here. It's a good chance to promote your books or step up on your favorite soap box. You get to pick the subject. Anything you want!  Hmmm, let's see: Why Writng is Fun; TUNA: the Best Food Ever; Famous Cats I Have Known...

Don't forget Ray Morand's ARMY OF THE DEAD is still free to celebrate the release of the sixth in her Red Knight Chronicles series, and to applaude e-books everywhere! Here's the link, in case you missed it:

http://www.writewordsinc.com/army-of-the-dead-e.html